"This is how the emergency food system in the U.S. has operated – by nature, as a system it has been transactional, reactive, disempowering, racist, and paternalistic." In this special op ed, Erin Skidmore, Good Food Systems Director, Access of West Michigan, explores the history of the charity food system, the cracks in an unsustainable web of nonprofits, and the pathways to move forward.

"People are defined by the water in Michigan, and access to it is really a deep value and a fundamental right."

Water trails are a relatively recent phenomenon in Michigan, having proliferated across the state over the past 10 to 15 years. Water trail advocates chalk that up to a variety of factors: the ripple effect of growing public interest in land-based trails, the establishment of the National Water Trails System in 2012, and a growing population of older adults that appreciates low-impact exercise like canoeing and kayaking.